In Shutdown, Overseas Commissaries Would Stay Open; Stateside Stores Would Close

Sep. 27, 2013 - 05:45PM
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Overseas commissaries would remain open in the event of a government shutdown, commissary officials announced today.

If lawmakers can’t reach an agreement by midnight Sept. 30, stateside commissaries, including those in Alaska and Hawaii, would be open for a full business day on Oct. 1 in order to sell off perishables such as meat, produce and dairy. But after that, they would begin a “systematic closure process to account for unsold products and secure facilities,” officials said in a statement.

Thirty-eight stores in Europe, one in Puerto Rico and 29 in the Pacific would remain open.

“We are acutely aware of the hardships placed on all our customers if we cannot deliver their commissary benefit,” Joseph H. Jeu, DeCA director and chief executive officer, said in the announcement. “However, because of their geographic location, our service members and their families overseas have a more critical dependence on commissaries, and we are prepared to continue that support.”